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City homicide unit makes temporary leadership change

The Baltimore City Police Department said a change in leadership has been made inside the city's homicide unit. The news comes as two killings involving young people in Baltimore, including a toddler, remain unsolved. Lowell Melser reports.

The Baltimore City Police Department said a change in leadership has been made inside the city's homicide unit. The news comes as two killings involving young people in Baltimore, including a toddler, remain unsolved. Lowell Melser reports.

Updated: 8:48 AM EDT Aug 15, 2014

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City homicide unit makes temporary leadership change

The Baltimore City Police Department said a change in leadership has been made inside the city's homicide unit. The news comes as two killings involving young people in Baltimore, including a toddler, remain unsolved. Lowell Melser reports.

WEBVTT PLAN TO TAKE PART IN A NATIONAL CONFERENCE CALL NEXT WEEK. KAI REED, WBAL-TV 11 NEWS. TONIGHT, TWO MURDERS INVOLVING CHILDREN REMAIN UNSOLVED AND NOW THERE IS WORD FROM THE BALTIMORE CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT THAT A CHANGE HAS BEEN MADE IN THE HOMICIDE DEPARTMENT. LOWELL MELSER IS LIVE DOWNTOWN WITH THE DETAILS. A SPOKESMAN FROM THE BALTIMORE POLICE DEPARTMENT AS WELL AS COUNCILMAN SCOTT, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE IN BALTIMORE CITY, SAYS THIS IS ONLY TEMPORARY AND HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THESE RECENT, UNSOLVED HIGH-PROFILE MURDERS. IT MAY SEEM THAT MAJOR CHANGES ARE BEING MADE , POLICE REPRESENTATIVES ARE DOWNPLAYING IT AS A TEMPORARY CHANGE. MAJOR DENNIS SMITH OVERSEEING THE HOMICIDE UNIT AND ASTUTE DETECTIVE UNITS HAS BEEN REMOVED FROM HOMICIDE AND BEEN REPLACED BY MAJOR STANLEY BRANFORD. HE WAS HEAD OF HOMICIDE AS A CAPTAIN. REPRESENTATIVES WITH THE BALTIMORE POLICE DEPARTMENT SAYS AGER BRANFORD HAD EXPERIENCE AS A CAPTAIN AND HAS BEEN TEMPORARILY ASKED TO TAKE OVER HOMICIDE. IT HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH UNSOLVED CASES. IT'S JUST A TEMPORARY FIX TRYING TO GET WINGS AND ORDERING LOOKING AT THE RESTRUCTURING. BRANDON SCOTT, VICE-CHAIRMAN OF THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE, CONFIRMED THE CHANGES BEEN SAID THEY HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH RECENT UNSOLVED MURDERS OF CITY CHILDREN. THREE-YEAR-OLD MCKENZIE ELLIOTT WAS KILLED WHEN CAUGHT IN A CROSSFIRE IN WAVERLY. DEVON:, A LACROSSE PLAYER -- DEV ON COOK, WAS SHOT AND INJURED IN PARK HEIGHTS. YOU CANNOT CALL YOURSELF A HUMAN BEING IF YOU STAND ASIDE AND LETS SOMEONE KILLING THREE-YEAR-OLD KID OR A 17-YEAR-OLD KID. THERE ARE PEOPLE OF INTEREST IN BOTH CASES BUT SO FAR NO ARRESTS. WHILE FRUSTRATING, WITNESSES NEED TO COME FORWARD. WE HAVE TO HAVE PEOPLE STEP UP TO THE PLATE WHEN STUFF LIKE THIS HAPPENS. THEY CANNOT SOLVE IT THEMSELVES. THEY CALL BALTIMORE SMALL-TIM ORE. SOMEONE KNOWS WHAT HAPPENED. INVESTIGATORS ARE STILL LOOKING FOR HELP IN BOTH OF THESE MURDERS. ANYONE WITH INFORMATION SHOULD CALL 410- 3962100.